The present invention relates to bearing races and more particularly to an interlocking bearing race used in a McPherson Strut bearing, as well as a method of making same.
The bearing race of the present invention is primarily intended for use in oscillatory and slow rotating rolling element type bearings such as McPherson Strut bearings. A typical McPherson Strut bearing consists of two bearing races and a full complement or cage retained ball complement. The components are usually encapsulated for the purpose of holding the assembly together. Other versions of strut bearings have the bearing races enclosed in plastic shells. In addition to performing a retention function, they also provide a sealing capability. As a general application, such strut bearings are mounted in automobile suspension systems.
The bearing races disclosed in the prior art are generally made by machining tubing and bar stock or, alternatively, by blanking out flat strip stock. Those methods are, however, relatively expensive since a great deal of material is wasted. Thus, the larger the diameter of the bearing race, the more expensive manufacturing becomes. That is especially true when the bearing race is blanked out of strip stock since a substantial amount of material within the inside diameter of the race and the outer diameter of the race is lost as waste.
Although the problem of wasted materials has been addressed with respect to bushings, the solution is not entirely satisfactory when applied to bearing races. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,762,117, issued to Houck, for example, the ends of the metal strip are held together by a tongue and mouth configuration which is disposed on a plane parallel to that of the axis of the radial bushing. Because the ends of the strip which form the bushing are interlocked by flattening the tongue within the mouth using radial pressure, the bushing is succeptible to disengagement upon the application of radial forces thereto.